Thoughts on Matt Barkley vs Arizona & a down year for QBs

October 30th, 2012 | Written by Rob Staton

Drafts that aren’t dominated by quarterbacks are rare. You have to go back to the year 2000 to find one – Chad Pennington was the sole quarterback taken in the first two rounds. He was the 18th overall pick. Next April, we could see a repeat.

Such a suggestion is often accompanied by the following counter: “This is a quarterback’s league these days.” While that is evidently true, the 2000 draft wasn’t a review of the times either. Just twelve months previous five quarterbacks were taken in the top twelve picks, including the first three selections. In 1998 we saw Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf go #1 and #2. Michael Vick was the #1 pick in 2001 while the brilliance of Julius Peppers in 2002 was only good enough to earn the #2 overall pick, sandwiched between David Carr and Joey Harrington – both quarterbacks.

Although the league wasn’t so dominated by the position in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, we were still seeing plenty of quarterbacks drafted at the top of round one. The ‘one-QB‘ draft of 2000 was unique for the times. We’ll definitely see more than one quarterback drafted in the first two rounds in 2013, but we might not see a guy taken in the top ten or fifteen. Let’s look at some of the candidates coming into the year:

Matt Barkley

Storied USC quarterback but was always likely to face hyper critical analysis by putting a fourth year of tape in the hands of scouts. He’d made tangible progress in three years with the Trojans and peaked at the end of the 2011 season. When you return for a fourth year starting, it’s difficult to keep improving and anything but improvement is open to criticism. Barkley hasn’t matched the heights of 2011 so far, but then neither have the USC Trojans as a team. More on him later.

Logan Thomas

He entered the year with possible ambitions to be the #1 pick. Thomas is big, strong and athletic – fitting the criteria of a top-15 pick in the last two years. He spent all off-season working on his game, meeting with experienced coaches to take the next step. It hasn’t happened. He’s regressed and looks awkward, already throwing ten interceptions (his total for 2011) and losing four games at Virginia Tech. Thomas has stated he’ll return for the 2013 season but really, he had no choice. Let’s see if he comes back stronger next year.

Tyler Wilson

After a 2011 season where Arkansas pushed the top teams in college football and chased a national title berth, the wheels dramatically came off when Bobby Petrino fell of his motorbike. Soon the Razorbacks were searching for a new coach and the team switched from contender to shambles. Wilson has predictably suffered as a consequence. He missed the 52-0 beat down by Alabama, but called out his team mates after. And just as it looked like things were changing for the better, Arkansas go and lose to Ole Miss on Saturday with Wilson throwing two picks. He’s mobile, he can sling it around – but he doesn’t have ideal height and he gets happy feet sometimes. His throwing motion is also very side arm.

Geno Smith

Started the year on fire but has since come back down to earth with crushing defeats to Texas Tech and Kansas State. Crowned the Heisman winner and #1 pick a few weeks ago, people are now second guessing just how good he is. Smith could be a first round pick and probably should be a first round pick considering the likes of Christian Ponder and Brandon Weeden have made it in recent years. He’s playing in an extreme spread that favours the arm ball, he can suffer from patchy form and he has a tendency to hold onto the ball too long. He could get back into top-ten consideration if he starts winning again. But right now his stock is trending down after a blistering start. You can see tape of his performance vs Kansas State at the bottom of this blog post.

Matt Barkley vs Arizona

It’s hard to project what the future holds for Barkley, Wilson and Smith (we know Thomas won’t declare). I could see a situation where a team like Dallas shows genuine interest in Wilson – given the inconsistency of Tony Romo, contract status and Jerry Jones’ love for all things Arkansas. That’s a logical fit. But in round one? Smith is the most likely candidate to go early as more of a modern-day prototype (tall, strong arm, mobility) but he needs to rebound after ugly defeats. And then there’s Barkley.

I sat down to watch Saturday’s USC @ Arizona game already knowing the outcome and expecting worse than I saw. He wasn’t as awful as perhaps some members of the media suggested, but that’s the kind of review you get as a fourth year senior. The game did start badly though and he should’ve had an interception on the first drive twice.

First, he threw straight to a linebacker who kindly tipped the ball into the hands of Marqise Lee. Then he forced a throw down the middle, staring down the route and failing to anticipate the safety cutting it off. It really deserved to be a pick, but the defensive back dropped a gift. Two bad decisions from a quarterback who needs to prove decision making/execution is elite to make up for average physical skills.

Ironically, he did throw a pick on the next play and it wasn’t his fault. Barkley throws a little dump off on 3rd and 24 which was tipped into the air by Lee and juggled then caught by the linebacker. It should’ve been caught and it’s funny how the game works sometimes.

Barkley is good at moving on from mistakes though. On the next possession he took a play fake, felt the pressure and side stepped the rusher before setting and throwing a dart for a key first down. He’s not a big time athlete who will run away from a big pass rusher, but his footwork is elite. Robert Woods was penalised for pass interference on the call, putting USC at 1st and 30. Barkley went straight back to the pass, launching a bomb down the left hand side to Lee for huge yardage. He got enough height on the ball to let the route develop (the ball came out very quickly) and it was perfect accuracy, right into the hands of the receiver.

Yet having got close to the red zone, USC crumbled. They got a bit quirky (Lane Kiffin does that way too often) and having reached 4th and 2, they go for it and miss on a play action pass to the tight end. Barkley had the full back on a checkdown for the first down but perhaps correctly went for the open guy in the end zone. His execution was again poor and he needs to hit that big target.

He made up for it with two quick scores shortly after – the first touchdown was a simple dump off on a play action to the tight end. On Barkley’s second touchdown he sits in the pocket, waits for Lee to get open and throws it comfortably over the middle. Lee had enough separation to break off a big YAC run for a 49-yard touchdown. The safety takes a terrible angle which allows the receiver to run it in.

Arizona couldn’t cover Lee in the first half. He had 256 yards, 90 coming after the catch. Barkley did a good job finding his #1 receiver, but it was simple pitch and catch for the most part.

His first throw of the second half was Barkley at his best – quick drop back, good read and a strike to Robert Woods on a medium slant. He hit Lee on a similar play shortly after for a touchdown, with a big YAC run – taking his production to 299 yards for the day at the time. But then on the next drive he missed a wide open Robert Woods on a deep pass. The defensive back tripped allowing Woods a radius of 20 yards free space. Barkley has to make that completion and push the score to 35-13. Arizona scored on their next drive to make it 28-20 and after a USC fumble, quickly that was closed to 28-26. The rest, as they say, is history. USC’s defense couldn’t get a stop and the offense looked uncharacteristically panicked.

Here’s the issue – this was a winnable game. What’s more, it was a winnable game with more than one big mistake by Barkley. When you watch the whole thing you see the defense struggling, the fumble by a running back and the bad play calling from Kiffin. Scouts are going to gloss over that – I guarantee it. They’ll look at two ugly picks, a bad loss and a receiver getting 300+ yards on the day. The negatives are obvious, and the positives justified by Marqise Lee’s incredible day.

Suddenly the voice in the war room pipes up. “This guy isn’t physically good enough. He’s just over 6-2, he’s not big or athletic. He’s a timing passer. He had great receivers.” A lot of that isn’t unfair, but it doesn’t do justice to what Barkley is good at. This was an off-day, but people don’t expect you to have off-days as a fourth year senior. They expect you to throw touchdowns, win Heisman’s and National Title’s.

Some coaches will be able to see beyond that, but scouts are looking for 1.) big 2.) strong arm 3.) athletic. Luck, Griffin III, Tannehill, Newton, Gabbert, Locker. What do they all have in common? And how does Barkley compare?

This is why I cannot call Barkley a top-15 shoe-in. As much as I rate his poise, accuracy, ability in the pocket and yes – appreciation he will have an off-day every once in a while – I don’t think he necessarily fits what the NFL is looking for right now. He won’t get beyond the #20-25 range, but he could certainly fall there. Tyler Wilson and Geno Smith could end up in that range too. But suddenly we’re talking about guys further down the list. And that’s why I think this could be a slightly different draft than previous years. Could it be we have to wait until beyond the top-15 to see a quarterback drafted? It could happen.

On the other hand, maybe I’ll be proven wrong? It’s still October and we have a long way to go in this process. But it’s worth considering a draft that could be dominated not by quarterbacks, but by elite pass rushers and defensive lineman.

Geno Smith game tape vs Kansas State:

10 Responses to “Thoughts on Matt Barkley vs Arizona & a down year for QBs”

You maybe right regarding Barkley, possibly not a top15 placement, but there’s that long offseason from the last game to draft day. There’s the senior game, school pro-days, individual pro-days, the combine, and now even the FFCA and Gruden’s camp to hype up your stock should it falter from the college season.

Remember: this was the guy that could have rivialed Luck (had he declared and the draft commitee didn’t give him a 2nd round grade) last year as 1-2 for the top pick. I find it hard to believe that he might not be the first QB drafted, let alone be in the top5. Possible down year? Maybe but the talent is there.

Lastly, off topic, can you do a post regarding the draft committee? Who are they and why do they hold so much influence on individuals not declaring when their perceived stock should be high?

I immediately think of the Chiefs & Cardinals. But, will the failures of their previous “under-tooled USC QBs” scare them away from another similar type of propsect (on the hoof)? I think Barkley is much better than Leniart & Cassell, but it’s hard not seeing the failure of these 2, along with Mark Sanchez really casting doubt on NFL GMs.

I really feel bad for Barkley. I absolutely loved him last year and was hoping to see a tick up in the arm strength category. His team has underperformed, and unfortunately a QB wears that on himself (unfairly).

I am having a hard time figuring out which team is really looking like a potential spot for him. The same can be said for Geno Smith. I think there’s a very distinct possibility that these 2 are not picked in the top 12. Which, makes a unique scenario for the Hawks. Doesn’t mean they draft one, but all of a sudden they become potential trade partners for a team sitting in the high second round. Quite possibly the perfect place to draft a high upside WR. We shall see.

This is the kind of game that makes me step back and really assess if this is the guy we want to select, should he fall to us in the 1st round. Barkley was saved by the superiority of Marqise Lee and the ineptitude of Arizona’s defense. He was bad. Should’ve had about 5 interceptions, and was not the same player we saw last year.

What worries me more is we haven’t seen that guy much at all this year. He’s a totally different player, maybe a little too reliant on the guys around him.

I just can’t bring myself to believe that no QB is going in the top 15 this year… Between Weeden and Ponder coming off the board when they did, I’ve just seen too much to convince myself.

I also think we all need to remember that scouts are going to be looking at all of his film this off-season, not just his Sr. year. Everyone thought Jake Locker made a huge mistake by returning for his senior season, and when he struggled that year people said the same things that we are now saying about Barkley. Obivously Barkley doesn’t measure up to Locker from a physical standpoint; my point is simply that an underwhelming senior year doesn’t necessarily destroy your draft stock.

If next year’s draft is a bad one for teams that need a QB, it sure seems that the value of high-potential current backup QBs should have skyrocketed. (You can see where this is leading …) I wonder what kind of deal the Seahawks would take for Matt Flynn? I know that we would need to replace him (move Josh Portis up from the practice squad)and that backup QBs are important, but I hate to see a valuable asset not being put to use. What kind of offer would it take to pull the trigger either today or during next year’s draft?

It’s hard to project Flynn’s market. Nobody was interested when he was a free agent which is why Seattle moved in. Now he’s lost a competition to a third round rookie, his stock is probably lower than post-Detroit blow out. So I’m not sure. It’d need a coach to really want the guy. I actually think they’d struggle to generate much at all at this stage on the contract.

[…] draft with the quarterbacks falling. I don’t think it’s an unrealistic proposition, as discussed in yesterday’s piece. People will instantly point to this being a ‘quarterback driven league’ but there are […]

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